Firefighters and other workers in hazardous areas often use a deluge system to set up a screen of water or foam between As vividly depicted in themselves of the source of the conflagration. the movie "The Fires Of Kuwait," a fine spray of water under pressure enables firefighters and well control specialists to get close enough to a fire to carry out their tasks, whereas, without the deluge, their proximity to the fire would otherwise prove fatal.
The deluge system used is not actually intended to extinguish the fire but rather to permit the workers to get close enough to the fire to employ other techniques and systems to put out the fire. The same or similar systems are used in other situations as well. For example, a deluge system may provide protection to workers as a precautionary measure in anticipation of a fire, explosion, or the uncontrolled release of hazardous or toxic materials.
The deluge system of the present invention finds broad application in the oil and gas industry, such as in coil tubing operations, snubbing or hydraulic workover operations, and onshore or offshore drilling. Furthermore, this deluge system provides efficient and cost effective applications to hot work in petro-chemical plants or hazardous materials operations. It also significantly improves upon currently known and available systems used at the site of train derailments and crash sites at auto races. In fact, the present invention may be scaled to be installed in a race car to automatically deploy or with a remote activation backup. In the race car such as a drag racer, the driver can activate the system without assistance to activate temporary cooling until he can climb out of the vehicle.
In addition to well control applications as previously mentioned, the present invention may be advantageously applied to all manner of fuel transport, whether by truck, train, or seagoing vessel, and to aviation fuel handling and transport. Finally, the deluge system as disclosed herein may find application at piers, docks, and terminals, particularly where petroleum products and chemicals are commonly handled.
Known systems for such applications are large, bulky devices that often require a separate source of pressurized water. Until now, the only systems that were available included an engine with attached centrifugal pump as the pressure source. Such a system requires a water source, which is impractical for portable or mobile protection systems. These systems have relatively complex controls and operating mechanisms that increase the likelihood of failure. Further, most such known systems, due to their size and weight, are not portable to permit their transport to a site where they are needed most. Thus, there remains a need for a deluge system that is compact and portable, yet simple in construction and operation to ensure emergency operation.